The Worms franchise began around thirteen years ago, and since that time its core gameplay mechanics have remained essentially unchanged. And rightly so – the premise is simple and addictive, and clumsy attempts to apply the formula to three-dimensional combat have shown that it’s best to keep it old school.
Teams of worms are distributed across randomly generated or player-created battlefields in strategic turn-based skirmishes. Each turn involves maneuvering one of your worms across the terrain, selecting one of many hilarious and devastating weapons from your arsenal and firing it at your enemy.
It’s a recipe that translates perfectly onto the Wii, and A Space Oddity makes excellent use of the Wiimote’s IR and motion-sensing abilities. Whether you’re aiming a firearm, hurling a grenade or commanding a guided missile, there’s a simple and intuitive gesture for every action.
Unfortunately, not much else has been added to the Worms experience. The game is, as the title suggests, set in space – the fifteen available weapons (based upon those from previous titles) are given a sci-fi twist and each of the six planets has its own terrain and gravity, but beyond this it’s much the same as its predecessors.
The biggest disappointment is the lack of online functionality, as it’s the next logical step for the series to take and would have vastly improved the game’s longevity. Offline matches are, as always, available for one to four players, and it’s here that you’ll spend most of your time once you’ve completed the ludicrously easy single-player mode and unlocked all the extra accessories for your worms.
The rules are fully customisable, including weapons and time limit, and the map editor gives you reasonable control in creating your own levels to fight on. Computer opponents can be added, though there’s a pretty steep learning curve between ‘easy’ and ‘hard’ – an AI-controlled worm is generally either a crackshot or a total moron.
If you’ve never played a Worms game before, A Space Oddity is a fantastic party game with friends and a great introduction into the series. For those who already own other recent installments, however, there may not be enough new ground to justify buying this one.
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